‎By Olawumi Oyehan

‎Education stakeholders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have appealed to the FCT Administration to increase funding for the territory’s scholarship scheme to enable more indigent students to continue their education amid rising economic hardship.

‎The appeal was made during a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the FCT Scholarship Board to review preparations for the 2025/2026 scholarship exercise and improve the application process for eligible students across the six area councils.

‎The stakeholders said the current scholarship awards should be reviewed upward to reflect prevailing economic realities, noting that many brilliant but less-privileged students are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the cost of education.

‎They also commended the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for ongoing investments in education and infrastructure, expressing hope that the administration would approve additional funding to expand the scholarship programme.

‎Speaking at the meeting, Director of the FCT Scholarship Board, Hannah Peter David, said the Board remained committed to supporting indigent and deserving students by providing financial assistance to help them complete their education.

‎She explained that the meeting was organised to review previous scholarship exercises, address challenges encountered in the past and ensure a transparent and seamless process for the 2025/2026 academic session.

‎According to her, the Board plans to strengthen public awareness of the programme, especially in rural communities, improve collaboration with stakeholders and eliminate duplication so that only qualified applicants benefit from the scheme.

‎David said fresh application forms would only be issued to new applicants, stressing that the Board could not achieve its mandate without the support of traditional rulers, school administrators and community leaders.

‎The meeting also addressed complaints over delays in scholarship payments to some beneficiaries.

‎Representatives of traditional institutions, including the Etsu Bwari and the Aguma of Gwagwalada, sought clarification on why some successful applicants had not received payment alerts.

‎Responding, the Director attributed most of the delays to incorrect account information submitted by applicants.

‎She disclosed that at least 48 payments were returned because beneficiaries provided wrong account details, used their parents’ bank accounts or submitted accounts from fintech platforms such as OPay and Moniepoint, which are not compatible with the payment system.

‎She said affected students were contacted individually to correct their information before their payments were successfully processed.

‎To prevent similar problems in the new application cycle, David advised applicants to use only commercial bank accounts in their own names, avoid third-party accounts, possess at least five O’Level credits including English Language and Mathematics, and submit their applications early.

‎She also explained that the scholarship scheme is funded entirely through the FCT Administration’s budget, making it difficult to accommodate every qualified applicant.

‎According to her, the current policy allocates 80 per cent of scholarship funds to indigent FCT indigenes and 20 per cent to indigent residents, covering basic, post-basic, tertiary and foreign education.

‎”Our appeal is for an increase in the scholarship budget so that more deserving children can benefit from the programme,” she said.

‎The meeting also highlighted the need to expand technical and vocational education across the FCT.

‎The representative of the Aguma of Gwagwalada called for improved guidance during the application process and urged the government to establish skills acquisition centres in all six Area Councils to equip young people with practical skills.

‎Also speaking, President of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), FCT Chapter, Jiya Mohammed Umar, commended traditional rulers for supporting education.

‎He particularly praised the Etsu Kwali for sponsoring about 15 indigent secondary school students through the scholarship scheme.

‎However, the stakeholders called for a renewed commitment to work closely with the FCT Scholarship Board to ensure that more deserving students have access to educational opportunities.